It’s been a wet spring season and that means the mosquitoes could be coming out in full force soon. Knox City Street Superintendent, Jeff Borg, said they will begin their eradication treatments soon. Continue reading
Taylor Smith, of Monterey, has made it through the first round of auditions for the new Simon Cowell program, “X Factor”. The auditions were held in Chicago. The next round of auditions were held Thursday morning. The results of that round are being kept secret until “X Factor” airs.
“X Factor” will air on Fox 28 and the premiere of the program will be in September.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall reports that the Robbins Ditch at 400 North and Range Road in Starke County has overflowed its banks and has flooded the road and surrounding fields. The road is closed until further notice.
Photos provided by Becky Pulver of Brems. Continue reading
The Starke County Commissioners opened roof repair bids Wednesday for the Starke County Jail. Three bids were received and Commissioners Kathy Norem and Dan Bridegroom awarded the bid to Northern Indiana Roofing and Sheet Metal Corporation out of South Bend. Commissioner Jennifer Davis was absent from the meeting.
Members of the Starke County Board Commissioners and County Council met Tuesday evening in a special session with representatives of IU Health Starke Hospital to discuss options available for operation of the healthcare facility. The County leases the aging building at the corner of U.S. 35 and Culver Road to IU Health, which operates the hospital.
A city ordinance regarding pawn shops in Knox purchasing stolen merchandise was brought before the council this week. The ordinance, which would primarily affect First Choice Pawn, was tabled for further consideration after a discussion between the Council and the operators of First Choice Pawn, Hank Minix and Chris Firebaugh.
City Attorney Dave Matsey modeled the ordinance after Indianapolis and Bloomington, who currently have an ordinance regarding licensing for pawn shops. The ordinance would require pawn shops to hold an item for ten days before selling it to give law enforcement time to receive theft reports and intercept stolen merchandise before the pawn shop is able to sell it. The ordinance also prohibits pawn shops from selling merchandise to intoxicated persons and establishes a fee of $25 for pawn shops to operate with a license, and establishes a procedure to follow in the event of stolen property being purchased by the pawn shop.
The national average of a gallon of regular gasoline is over the $4.00 mark and that hurts the pocketbook of all consumers in the United States. It also affects the fuel line item in County, City and Town budgets.
Starke County Sheriff, Oscar Cowen, told WKVI that the Sheriff’s Department staff is keeping an eye on the prices, but services to the citizens will not diminish because gas prices are high. He said that when we saw a spike in prices in 2008, the Sheriff’s Department made it through and hopes to come within the fuel budget this time around.
Flood watches remain for several area rivers, including the Yellow River in Knox that flows through Wythogan Park and by the Wastewater Treatment Plant. When the river reached a flood stage of 12 feet one year, the Treatment Plant had flooding issues. Wastewater Superintendent, Kelly Clemons, explained the situation that occurred at the plant at that time:
When we recently talked with Starke County Clerk, Evelyn Skronski, about the Primary Election campaign signs placed outside the Knox city limits, where the only Primary Election in Starke County will be held next Tuesday, she shared her insight as to the candidate’s reasoning.
The 2011 session of the Indiana General Assembly, as required by law, will end tomorrow night by midnight or before. Senator Ed Charbonneau says after considerable study legislation of interest to area mint farmers was passed by the Assembly and signed by Governor Daniels April 20th.
The Knox City Primary Election is May 3rd and there are several candidates running unopposed for seats on the Knox City Council.
One of those candidates is Linda Berndt, who has served on the Council for 16 years, and she is running for the At-Large seat on the Council. She was asked what she thinks will be a challenge for the Council in the next four years.
The third annual Turkey Tracks hunting event gets underway in Starke County this weekend. The hunt allows physically handicapped youngsters to experience a turkey hunting experience with assistance from local Adopt-a-Hunter volunteers. Carol Corey outlines some of the events planned for the young hunters.
“They come to the Knox VFW Saturday morning before daylight to go out and find the turkeys coming off the roost and then in the evening, we invite all of our Adopt-a-Hunter volunteers and landowners there for a dinner. If you are an Adopt-a-Hunter or landowner, we would appreciate it if you would come and join us and meet our hunters.”
Kimberly Hitchens received her sentence Tuesday morning in the Starke Circuit Court. Hitchens plead guilty to one count of Assisting a Criminal, a Class D Felony, which carries a sentence between 6 months to 3 years in the Department of Corrections.
Judge Kim Hall noted a few aggravating factors, as well as mitigating factors, in the case. Judge Hall stated that while Hitchens was called as a witness, she lied under oath, thereby committing perjury in the courtroom. He also noted that since Hitchens admitted there was a conspiracy, and that three others had been convicted of conspiracy to commit armed robbery from the same incident, Hitchens’ criminal activity far exceeded the crime for which she has been convicted. Judge Hall also mentioned two mitigating factors: she had previously lived free of crime for a reasonable amount of time, and she did admit to the conspiracy.
Archaeologists from IFPW at Fort Wayne are currently working at the site of the replacement dam at Koontz Lake where State Road 23 passes over it. The State Highway Department is building a new road, where the curve will be corrected, and the Department of Natural resources is rebuilding the dam.
While there is talk, pro and con, about expanding the existing Starke County Jail at the current site or constructing a new jail at a remote site, action to repair of the current facility continues.
The Starke County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a special meeting today at 1:00 p.m. to open bids for repair of the roof on the jail on North Pearl Street in Knox.
Every ten years the Indiana General Assembly reviews the state’s House and Senate Districts and draws new boundary lines after determining that each has an appropriately equal number of voters. 2011 is one of those years. Senator Ed Charbonneau comes in today to tells us of the latest readjustment to his Senate district.
“My District is going to change rather significantly,” said Senator Charbonneau. “The one county where I had the entire county was Starke County and then parts of the six counties that surrounds Starke County. Under the new map, I will lose the townships that I had in Marshall County, I’ll lose some of the townships in LaPorte County, and have all of Pulaski County and then the four townships along the bottom of Starke County.”
The City of Knox Primary Election is less than a week away. Donald Kring, a Democrat, is unopposed in his District for a seat on the Knox City Council. He talks about what his main focus will be if elected into office in the November Election.
“I’ve been listening to the people in our community and it seems that unemployment is a big concern,” he said. “By working with the local businesses, as well as other City Council members, we can bring back lost jobs. I will work hard to bring new business, big or small, to our City.”
The Starke County Environmental Management District’s Collection Event begins today at the Starke County Highway Garage. Household appliances, computers, televisions, fluorescent lamps and PCB ballasts, and tires will be accepted from 2:30-5:30 p.m. CT today through Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
On Saturday, April 30th, household hazardous waste will be accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. only. Flammable liquids, pesticides/herbicides, corrosive liquids/acids, non-conforming waste, paints, toxic solids, motor oil and antifreeze are some of the hazardous chemicals that will be accepted. For a complete list of acceptable products and limits, visit the ad on this website.
The spring turkey season opens today and runs through May 15th.
“To hunt turkeys in the spring, residents need a resident turkey license and a game bird stamp for 2011,” said Conservation Officer Keith Wildeman. “Birds that are harvested are required to be checked in within 48 hours at an official check station and there are several throughout Starke County.”
The annual Volunteer Fair is this Saturday, April 30th from 9:00 a.m. to Noon at the Knox High School. The Volunteer Fair is sponsored by the Community Services of Starke County, Northwest Indiana Action Corporation, United Way of Porter County and Healthlinc.
Do you know where you can volunteer in Starke County? Over fifteen agencies will be present with volunteer opportunities for persons of all ages.
